


A little like love

by SilentRain91



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Lena's pov, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 00:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14705375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentRain91/pseuds/SilentRain91
Summary: “You don’t have to clean this up,” Lena said and in her intention to take over the rag from Imra, she wound up covering Imra’s hand with her own. “You’re my guest.”“I like to feel useful,” Imra said with a thin smile.Lena withdrew her hand and something about the sad glint in Imra’s eyes clawed at her chest. She wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her wanted to hug Imra, but she worried that was too forward of an action when in all fairness they barely knew each other.Beach house AU.





	A little like love

_Don’t stare_ , Lena told herself.

But it was hard not to. It was hard because Imra was wearing denim jeans which fit snugly around her waist and she was wearing a crop top, exposing a strip of skin. It was such a different sight from the DEO suit or the Legion suit Imra usually wore.

When Imra smiled that pretty smile of hers while she leaned over the counter, watching her pour drinks, she couldn’t help but notice it didn’t reach her eyes. She studied Imra for a moment too long, held her gaze, wondered what was on her mind and then bits of wine dribbled down her fingers, down the side of the glass.

“I may not be an expert,” Imra said in her lovely accent, her English a little clipped and unclear at times, “but I’m sure that’s not how you’re supposed to pour glasses.”

Lena raised a curious eyebrow, a little taken aback by the mild sassiness, unless it was purely coincidental. “I must have been too distracted,” she replied offhandedly, setting the bottle down. She went to reach for a rag to clean it up, but Imra beat her to it.

Imra dabbed at Lena’s fingers and frowned when Lena withdrew her fingers abruptly. “Are you alright?” she asked, eyes searching Lena’s face, as if she was trying to get a read on her.

Lena mentally scolded herself for not remaining poised. It was a miniscule slipup, one that was uncharacteristically for a Luthor. She was taught better than that, but in all fairness, she was only human and sometimes her emotions leaked away from her.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Lena answered, forcing a smile. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to clean this up,” Lena said and in her intention to take over the rag from Imra, she wound up covering Imra’s hand with her own. “You’re my guest.”

“I like to feel useful,” Imra said with a thin smile.

Lena withdrew her hand and something about the sad glint in Imra’s eyes clawed at her chest. She wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her wanted to hug Imra, but she worried that was too forward of an action when in all fairness they barely knew each other. If a quasi-stranger hugged her, she would surely tense up, and odds were Imra might not appreciate the gesture either, might not find it comforting.

Imra was staying over with Lena at a beach house Lena owned and nearly forgot about. A couple of days ago, Kara sought out Lena with the request if Imra could stay with her for a while. Lena hadn’t received much context on the matter, other than the fact Imra could do with a vacation and for some inane reason, Lena was the person Kara thought of.

Lena was hesitant at first and wondered if it was a trick of Kara to get someone to keep her company after her brief relationship with James ended. She wasn’t heartbroken, she was fine. She didn’t need comfort, didn’t need tubs filled with ice cream or tissues to dry her tears with. She had no tears to cry for a man whom lied to her, for a man whom dragged her name through the dirt while trying to get into her pants immediately after.

Lena almost said no, because if it was a trick to give her company, she wondered why it wasn’t Kara taking the vacation with her. After all, Kara was her best friend. But then something in Kara’s pleading gaze and in the way she kept fidgeting with her glasses more so than usual made her cave in. There was a bit of uneasiness to it all. Kara was too quiet, stumbled over her words too much and when she spoke Imra’s name she stared down at the floor.

Lena observed Imra while the Saturn girl cleaned up the mess she created. Her brown locks looked soft and wavy, the kind of hair that would be nice to run her fingers through. Not that she was thinking about doing any of that. No, she had to keep her gay in check. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to Imra, because who wouldn’t be? The one thing that puzzled her was what Imra saw in Mon-El.

She remembered how much Kara had suffered because of Mon-El and while she was trying to be supportive, she never understood why they were together. Mon-El wasn’t a good man, no matter which fancy suit he tried to parade around in. Then she learned seven years passed for Mon-El and he had a wife; Imra.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Games, something Lena was both good and bad at. She couldn’t play monopoly on a board to help save her life, but in the real world she knew perfectly how monopoly worked. Scrabble, however, she could do, or at least so she thought.

She was roping in a lot of points, but then Imra began to spell out words and more than once Lena had to check her phone to look up if those words truly existed or if Imra made them up. Imra shrugged at her innocently while she completely whooped her ass with no mercy. It was the third day at Lena’s beach house and they had to do something to pass the time.

The whole best two out of three didn’t sound like such a good idea anymore now that Lena lost the first two games. “How do you keep winning?” she asked, staring at Imra in disbelief.

“It’s quite easy,” Imra answered, gesturing at the words she spelled out. “You play the game and you win.”

“Okay, smartass,” Lena replied, bumping her shoulder against Imra’s, earning a small smile. “God, if I don’t win at chess then I’m a truly hopeless case.”

“You’re not hopeless, Lena,” Imra replied, and damn, that accent really got to Lena. She lifted a hand and placed it on Lena’s shoulder. “You’re a genius,” she said, squeezing her shoulder softly. “I used to look up to you and to Supergirl. Now there’s only you.”

Lena’s eyebrows knitted together at the thin smile on Imra’s face, at the twinge of sadness in her voice. “You look up to me?” she asked, baffled when Imra nodded. “Why did you stop looking up to Supergirl?”

“Why did you?”

Lena nodded slowly. Her tongue darted out of her mouth to moisturize her lips. That was a fair enough question. “Meeting idols isn’t always what you hope it’ll be,” she said, and yet despite her disappointment in Supergirl and knowing Kara was Supergirl, she wanted Kara’s friendship, even if it meant seeing her felt like a stab.

“No, it isn’t,” Imra agreed, eyes unfocused.

Without thinking too much about it, Lena grasped Imra’s hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

“There is one question I have been wondering about, though I fear I need not ask to know the answer.”

“Which question?”

Imra’s eyes fixated on Lena. “The invitation you extended to me,” she said slowly, narrowing her eyes a little. “Is it true it was your idea?”

Lena’s eyebrows creased together for a second, but it was enough for Imra to avert her eyes and look down. She was confused as to why Kara lied to Imra. “I was under the impression you knew it was arranged,” she said, a little perplexed.

“Everything always seems to be,” Imra whispered so quietly Lena almost didn’t hear her.

Lena grasped Imra’s chin. “You’re welcome here,” she told her, offering her a sincere smile. “Your company is a breath of fresh air, truly.”

Lena gulped when Imra’s fingers wrapped loosely around her wrist. Right, she grasped Imra’s chin. God, what was she thinking?

“I believe you.”

“You do?” Lena asked, wincing at her lack of subtlety. “Sorry about that,” she said, trying to laugh it off. “I assure you I told you the truth, I’m simply surprised it’s not taking more convincing for you to believe me.”

They lapsed into silence until Lena realized she still had to withdraw her hand from Imra’s face, which she did, with a blush she hoped Imra didn’t notice. For god sakes, Imra was married. She had to stop being such a hopeless gay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Why do you look up to me?”

Perhaps it wasn’t the most ideal question to ask in the middle of watching Harry Potter, but it had been on the tip of Lena’s tongue for a while. They started watching Harry Potter after she learned Imra had no idea what her Ravenclaw pajama meant. She also made it her personal mission to find out what Imra’s house was.

Imra turned to look at Lena while Lena paused the movie. It was their fifth day at the beach house together.

Lena’s eyes briefly wandered down to Imra’s exposed legs. Imra looked good in shorts. How Mon-El wasn’t all over Imra all the time was beyond her.

“You’re a genius, your mind is absolutely brilliant,” Imra said and the smile on her face did reach her eyes, then. “Where I’m from, you’re famous. You’re a hero. Earth is making a mistake by making you grovel so hard for people to believe you’re good, as if you haven’t been proving yourself at every turn. You’re genuinely a good person and the world may be blind to that, but they won’t always be.”

“Hero is not a word people associate me with,” Lena replied with a nervous chuckle.

“I do,” Imra said firmly, her statement open and honest.

“Supergirl used to believe in me, but then she looked at me as if I’m the enemy,” Lena said, feeling the heartbreak of that moment all over again, to have her best friend look at her with distaste. She noticed how the smile on Imra’s face dimmed and the sparkle in her eyes was gone.

“I thought Supergirl was this amazing, selfless person,” Lena continued with a quiet sigh. “But then she chewed me up and spat me out for having kryptonite. I wanted to help, not cause harm. You think you know someone and then they surprise you. That’s why I stopped looking up to her. I can’t trust her anymore.”

Imra flattened her hands on her thighs and leaned over a little, closing her eyes when Lena caressed her back.

Lena scooted closer and pulled Imra into a sideways hug. The sadness which loomed around Imra clawed her chest open. She heard how Imra lost her sister and she heard how she was supposed to go home, but something went wrong when they tried to take off, which meant Imra was stuck on earth for the time being, maybe permanently.

“My marriage with Mon-El is over,” Imra said, opening her eyes. “When we got married, it was an arranged marriage. It wasn’t my choice either, but I knew he resented me for it. As years passed, we grew closer and we found love. Then we came here and he only had eyes for her.”

“Kara,” Lena whispered knowingly.

“At first he tried to be honorable, but I knew he blamed me. He wanted to be with her, not me. I felt as if I was keeping him as a prisoner, as if I stood between two people meant to be.”

Lena doubted Kara and Mon-El were meant to be, but surely Kara knew better than to return to that man ever again. “There is nothing honorable in him behaving like a petulant child,” she said, holding no sympathy for the man who was whining about needing to be faithful when he wanted to crawl back to his ex. “He doesn’t get brownie points for not cheating on you.”

“I gave him a choice, an out. He made his choice. They’re seeing each other again, that’s why I’m here.”

Lena’s stomach turned and she was absolutely disgusted. From Mon-El, she expected as much, but from Kara it made her skin crawl. She never took Kara for a home wrecker and she thought Kara was done with him. All of the sympathy she felt for Kara at how sad it was for her how her boyfriend of three months married someone, suddenly vanished. She couldn’t believe Kara tried to get her to pity her, even when she asked her if she could take that vacation with Imra. She had the feeling Kara played her and it hurt, and it made her wonder if she ever truly knew Kara because the more truths arose, the more she wanted nothing to do with her anymore. 

They talked more and after a while they changed the topic to Harry Potter, per Imra’s insistence who wanted to know which house she belonged in.

Lena smiled when Imra landed herself in Ravenclaw. “You know, all those fancy words you knew should have been a sign for me you’re a bookworm,” she said and she snapped her fingers when an idea hit her.

Imra eyed Lena and chuckled when Lena kind of totally tripped over her own feet in her excitement and haste to grab a spare pair of Ravenclaw pajamas to lend to Imra.

Lena’s eyes widened when Imra chucked off her top right in front of her. Her hands flew up to her face so fast it felt like a slap and she was pretty sure her cheeks were beet red. “Jesus, Imra,” she said, not daring to look.

“Is it not custom for people on earth to get changed in front of another person?”

“It depends on the people and the situation. People don’t undress in front of me, unless we’re about to have sex,” Lena answered, chuckling, but she unintentionally made the situation worse for herself because now she was thinking about getting naked with Imra.

God dammit, she had to stop being so inappropriate. Imra was her guest and they had become some sort of friends, and there was no way she was going to ruin this chance at having a genuine friend. She wasn’t a creep.

“I will remember that,” Imra said. “You can look now, I’m decent.”

Lena lowered her hands and she wanted to breathe out in relief, but instead her breath caught. Imra looked good in her Ravenclaw pajamas. The shorts hung loosely around Imra’s hips, revealing her hipbones and the top was cut out low enough to show off her cleavage.

“If you wanted to look, you could have done so while I was getting changed,” Imra said, erupting in a fit of laughter.

Lena’s cheeks darkened and it spread down to her neck. Damn, she was caught staring. To be fair, there had been nothing subtle about the way her eyes roamed Imra’s body. “My pajamas suit you well.”

“They smell lovely,” Imra said, inhaling deeply as if to punctuate her words.

“I have ice cream in my freezer,” Lena said while she patted over to the kitchen.

“What is ice cream?” Imra asked, smiling when Lena spun towards her with a gasp. “I’m kidding, I tasted ice cream before.”

“You had me there for a moment,” Lena replied, pushing down her shock.

“Is that so?”

Lena’s lips parted slightly. She raised an eyebrow. “That’s so,” she answered, curious as she grabbed a tub of ice cream from the freezer. She opened it and dug in a spoon, mindful of Imra’s eyes on her as she licked it clean, tantalizingly slow. “Would you like some?”

Lena meant to grab a new, clean spoon for Imra, but then Imra snatched her spoon out of her hands and scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. When Imra’s eyes locked with hers while she licked the ice cream off of the spoon, she thought this was how she might die.

 

 

* * *

 

 

On their seventh night at the beach house, Lena let herself get talked into going for a stroll on the beach. Imra made a valid point it was a shame not to when they were so close to the beach. It was dark out and the beach was vacant. The air was still pleasantly warm, though the water wasn’t.

Lena shrieked when the water washed over her bare feet.

Meanwhile Imra was standing knee-deep in the water, unbothered by the cold. “This feels good,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “You should come in, Lena.”

“I don’t think so,” Lena answered, taking a step back. “It’s cold.”

“I’ll keep you warm,” Imra replied while she turned around. Her smile was so sincere, so inviting Lena found herself stepping into the water. “Do you trust me?”

“That’s a big ask, should I?”

Imra didn’t look disappointed or upset, she merely smiled. “Probably not,” she answered, splashing water at Lena, which had Lena squealing.

“Imra!” Lena shouted. “I will get you, you tease,” she said, laughing while she made her way towards Imra.

Lena wrapped her arms around Imra and tried to tackle her, but Imra was strong and it looked more like a strange embrace rather than an attempt to take her down. The feeling of Imra tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear gave her a pause.

“You’re shivering,” Imra said, engulfing Lena into her arms.

“I did say it was cold,” Lena pointed out.

“Yes, you did, smartass,” Imra replied, making Lena gasp at getting the word she called Imra earlier this week shot back at her.

Imra scooped Lena up in her arms and carried her out of the water.

“Show off,” Lena said, smiling. “You’re not going to carry me all the way inside, are you?”

“I might, you’re easy to carry.”

“Set me down, silly,” Lena chuckled, surprised Imra obeyed her without protest. “You know, you have quite the tongue for someone who appears so innocent and sweet,” she said while they walked the rest of the way back to her beach house.

“Women generally appreciate my tongue.”

Lena stopped walking and glanced at Imra. She wanted to say something clever back, but then a shock of awareness passed between them and she found herself gaping for a moment. Her thirst came back tenfold. She bit her lip, catching on to Imra’s gaze drifting down to her lips. She ran a hand through her hair and cleared her throat.

“Oh?” Lena asked as casually as possible. “Why’s that?”

Imra’s cheeks tinged red and she shrugged.

“Come on,” Lena said, grasping Imra’s wrist before Imra could walk away. “You can’t tease me like that.”

Imra took a step towards Lena, stepping into her personal space. “Like what?” she asked, breath hot against Lena’s face.

“You can’t tease me with that mouth of yours,” Lena breathed out. “You’re a tease and if you keep it up I’m going to-”

Lena shook her head and turned away, but this time Imra caught her wrist.

Imra cupped Lena’s jaw. “Going to what?”

“Going to do something like this,” Lena whispered, kissing Imra’s cheek, just far enough away from her mouth. “Only, elsewhere,” she added, backing away to look into Imra’s eyes.

Lena freed her wrist from Imra’s grip and went inside, in dire need to take a shower and to get away from Imra who looked frozen. She must have gone too far and screwed things up, as per usual.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena couldn’t forget about their nightly stroll on the beach. It had been a few days since and they hadn’t talked about it, not a single word, as if it never happened and for that she was both grateful and annoyed. She wanted Imra to acknowledge there was something there, then, if only for a moment. Yet at the same time it was something akin to a relief Imra seemed to act like it never happened.

Their interactions had been friendly since, casual, though they did get to know each other better. After spending almost two weeks at her beach house with Imra, she learned Imra could go through the scariest of movies as if it was nothing, but whenever they watched a movie where someone lost a loved one, Imra’s breath would hitch and she would curl up against Lena.

She learned Imra wasn’t too thrilled about vanilla, but when it was chocolate she ate it until her stomach ached. Imra never shut the bathroom door, though out of respect for her privacy she never tried to steal a glimpse of her. Some nights Imra woke up and wandered into her bedroom. It was a little startling at first, having a body slide up against hers, but she got used to it. She learned Imra beat her at every game and learned to regret she taught her how to play chess, because dammit if Imra wasn’t a quick study.

Lena leaned back on the couch, smiling when Imra joined their hands. She was enamored by the circles Imra rubbed onto her skin, which made goosebumps erupt all over her arms. It was a nice gesture and she relaxed into it, resting her head on Imra’s shoulder.

“When you were sitting in that room at the DEO, I couldn’t stop staring at you,” Imra said, breaking the silence. “The way you hold yourself up, it’s impressive. You have a sweet accent when you speak.”

“Says you,” Lena replied, smiling as she listened intently to Imra’s voice, thick with her accent.

“I kept thinking, gods I hope she kicks my ass someday, that would be hot.”

Lena burst out laughing while Imra chuckled. She knew it was a joke, though it was an entertaining thought. She lost her balance when she felt Imra tug at her hand, but as soon as she gave in to the pull, she wound up straddling Imra, which had her laughter fade and a blush creep up her cheeks.

Imra cradled Lena’s face in her hands and smiled at her.

“Are you thinking about me kicking your ass?”

Imra chuckled briefly. “No,” she answered, running her thumb across Lena’s lips, letting her gaze drift there. “I’m thinking about what I should have done when we were at the beach together.”

Lena’s heart skipped a beat. She leveled Imra with an intense gaze that could have floored the Saturn girl if she wasn’t sitting down. “Show me,” she said, and damn, her words came out as a plea rather than a demand.

Imra cupped the back of Lena’s neck and pulled her in.

The world slowed for Lena as Imra’s lips brushed hers tentatively, seeking. She wove her hands through Imra’s soft hair, kissing her without reservation. Imra’s lips were soft and warm, flitting so well over her own. When she felt Imra’s tongue silently asking for entrance, she granted it with a moan which Imra swallowed.

Lena had never been kissed like this, not since her passionate adventures with Sam, back when she was in college. Imra stole the breath from her lungs and there was an uncertainty to the way she kissed her, as if there was a question in it, like Imra was asking her if this was okay. Her heart hammered against her ribcage at the striking realization she was kissing her ex best friend’s ex-boyfriend slash boyfriend again ex-wife.

Imra was the woman Kara used to vent to Lena about, at first, expressing how much it hurt her boyfriend came back with a wife. She remembered how Kara wanted to resent Imra for it and how she couldn’t because Imra was too kind to hate. Now Imra was here in her beach house and her marriage was over because Kara let Mon-El in again.

Lena backed away, catching her breath. “Imra, what if this is wrong?”

Imra’s thumb caressed Lena’s cheek. “Is it?”

Lena shook her head. Maybe somewhere deep down it wasn’t right, because surely Imra needed time and she never agreed to being anyone’s rebound, but kissing Imra felt good.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. I promise, Lena. If you say stop, I will stop, no questions asked.”

Lena surged forward and captured Imra’s lips. Imra’s tongue coaxed her lips apart once more and she let her. She felt Imra’s hands slide up under her shirt, her caresses warm and pleasant.

Imra moved her hands down to Lena’s thighs and rubbed circles there. “Can I take you to your room?” she asked, eyeing Lena when Lena gasped. “Sorry, too forward?”

Lena smiled and wrapped her arms lazily around Imra’s neck. “You can take me there,” she answered, pushing down the anxiety Imra might regret all of this tomorrow.

Imra stood. Her arms were strong as she carried Lena up the steps with ease. She lowered Lena onto the bed, so slowly and careful as if she was putting down something of the utmost value.

Imra got in bed next to Lena and kissed her lazily, slowly while she ran her fingers absentmindedly through her hair.

Lena reveled in the feeling, but it made her burn for more. She took off her shirt, feeling exposed as Imra’s eyes drank her in.

“You’re undressing in front of me,” Imra said, her eyes twinkling in joy. “Does this mean we’re about to have sex?”

“Stop teasing me and start undressing,” Lena said, tangling her hand in Imra’s shirt, pulling her in for a kiss.

Imra nipped at Lena’s lip. “I haven’t quite teased you yet, love,” she said, chuckling as she pulled back to get undressed.

Lena was shook at the term of endearment. It slipped from Imra’s lips so naturally, like she didn’t think much of it. She felt a spark of hope, but she pushed it down. Rebounds didn’t get happy stories. One night stands were casual, no strings attached.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena woke to a naked body curled up against her, tangled in the sheets. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, adjusting to the sunlight which was filtering in, assaulting her eyes.

Imra stirred and snuggled a little closer. “Good morning, love,” she whispered, pecking Lena’s lips.

“Good morning,” Lena rushed out, picking up on the term of endearment again.

Imra’s fingertips moved up and down Lena’s arm. She smiled at Lena in such a sincere way, it clawed open Lena’s chest and pulled at her heartstrings.

“Did you sleep well?” Imra asked, hand moved from Lena’s arm to her side.

Lena was acutely aware of how Imra couldn’t seem to keep her hands off of her and it was doing wicked things to her, deliciously wicked things. “Yes, because you were here,” she answered, feeling a swell of something warm blossom in her chest when Imra smiled again, knowing she did that, she put that smile on her face. “How was your sleep?”

“So good I don’t want it to end,” Imra answered, shifting closer.

Imra shifted her weight on top of Lena and pinned Lena’s wrists down. “This is the best vacation I’ve had. I don’t quite look forward to it ending.”

Lena sighed as reality settled in. She had almost forgotten their vacation was ending in two days. “We could meet up for lunch and dinner from time to time, if you’d like,” she offered, preparing for the inevitable rejection.

“I’d love to meet up with you,” Imra replied, smiling a bright smile. She lowered her hands down Lena’s body and pressed kisses everywhere, taking her time.

“Only if it’s not too much of a hassle.”

Imra chuckled, though Lena hadn’t been kidding. “My girlfriend can’t be a hassle to me.”

Lena’s jaw dropped. “Girl-girlfriend?” she asked, not recalling having established such a thing.

Imra’s movements slowed down and then stopped completely. “Is this not how relationships work? From my understanding, sharing a bed with someone in such an intimate way means-”

A flash of hurt passed through Imra’s eyes. “I should educate myself better,” she said with a chuckle that sounded a little too bitter.

“Wait,” Lena said, reaching out for Imra before Imra could pull away from her. “I like you, Imra, I do. The time we spent here together has been special to me. I would like to get to know you more, if that’s okay with you. We can go out a few times and see where the road takes us. What do you say?”

Imra answered with a kiss.

Lena melted into it and maybe they had to slow down a little, but it was a beautiful sunny morning and she liked the feeling of Imra’s body moving on top of hers. She felt something claw at her chest again, only this time it didn’t hurt so much.

They spent long minutes kissing, making out and when they slowed down, Lena stared at Imra, capturing every inch of her, savoring the memory of her. This time she didn’t tell herself not to stare, especially not with the way Imra was staring at her in return.

Their lips found each other again and it tasted a little like love and a lot like healing.

 

**Author's Note:**

> A rare pair. This is just an idea I had and wanted to write. :)


End file.
